I said you are all war criminals

Akito was also very surprised, "After all, didn't you kill him?"

"The curser you killed yesterday was Toyokawa Seikao."

"——He is also Toyokawa Shoko's father."

Shiina Riki was stunned.

45

Chapter 45: False words.

Seeing Shiina Riki falling into confusion, Narumiya Akito's expression was slightly surprised, but his heart was calm.

This was just as he expected.

He used his connections in the police to uncover the Toyokawa family's intelligence and Shiina Riki's identity as the Curse Master within a single day. For ordinary people, this would be difficult... but for the police, investigating these matters wasn't difficult at all.

Moreover, as a famous half-demon family, the Toyokawa family has always been under police observation. In fact, the police have also discovered that the seven incredible events this time are inseparable from the Toyokawa family.

To be more precise, it is inextricably linked to Shoko Toyokawa.

——And then, the rest is all bullshit.

"From what I understand, Toyokawa Shoko and Toyokawa Kiyoshi were planning to resurrect their family together... namely, Toyokawa Shoko's mother. I believe the mechanical monster that appeared after Toyokawa Kiyoshi's death was Toyokawa Shoko, and she was there to retrieve the cursed bead."

"That monster is Xiangzi?"

Shiina Riki held his face.

She learned from Aine that the enemy she had worked so hard to defeat was intercepted by a mechanical monster... However, she never expected that the monster would be Toyokawa Shoko.

"I didn't expect it to be like this..."

Who knows what that mechanical monster is?

This information Akito had gathered came from the white-haired girl he'd met that day, Kaname Rakuna... That girl was elusive and seemed to be able to see something Akito couldn't. According to her, it seemed to be a "youkai."

Akito, who did not go to the battle scene in person and could not observe the characters through the camera, was able to accurately say the word "mechanical monster" because Kaname Rakuna heard the information from the monsters.

"Xiangzi...turned into a monster?"

Li Xi muttered to himself, his fingertips gently stroking the smooth surface of the mantra beads.

The gentle smile of Toyokawa Shoko appeared in her mind, but now she only felt creepy.

"This is impossible……"

Li Xi raised his head and stared at Qiu Ren sharply, "Why are you telling me this? What is your purpose?"

Akito shrugged, looking like he had expected this.

"My purpose is simple, to help you free yourself from the curse."

He paused and explained, "The fact that Toyokawa Shoko became like that is most likely a side effect of the curse, or... some kind of transformation. I'm still investigating the specific reasons."

"Don't think too much,"

Akito noticed Riki's doubts and slowed down his tone. "The most important thing now is to resolve the curse on you. As for Toyokawa Shoko and the reason why she turned into a monster, I will help you investigate. I promise."

Li Xi was silent, she lowered her eyes, struggling internally.

Akito's words sounded sincere.

At this moment, the trembling Aiyin leaned close to Riki's ear and whispered, "The only one who could have witnessed that battle was the Curse Master. You can't trust the other Curse Masters. Maybe they were fulfilling the conditions of the curse..."

She did not lose her mind because of the previous explosion, but calmly reminded Li Xi, "Once the conditions are met, before the transformation... the curse can kill you in an instant."

Curse to kill.

Li Xi suddenly woke up this time.

Her abandonment channel is a curse bead that can be used to curse and kill the other party when they leave.

Thinking about it this way, other curse beads should be similar. After the other party [does something], the curse can be activated.

——This man might be preparing to curse Li Xi to death?

Li Xi calmly tightened his fingers, his fingertips almost sinking into the smooth surface of the mantra beads, and a thin layer of sweat seeped out of his palms.

Across from her, Akito had a relaxed smile on his face, as if he was completely unaware of her wariness.

...It's too bad. I can't transform into CRY now. I have to find a way to make this person leave on his own. Only then can I trigger the curse of [Abandoned Channel].

"I have been secretly investigating the seven incredible events,"

Akito continued, his tone steady, as if discussing the weather, "This incident from forty years ago has recently been investigated by someone—yes, Toyokawa Shoko."

Upon hearing this, Li Xi suddenly spoke up, "Didn't you say you were here to investigate the Toyokawa family and the ghost? You've completely changed the subject... What exactly is your purpose?"

The smile on Qiuren's face remained unchanged, but it was a little more serious.

"Okay, I admit that I did hide some information."

He spread his hands out, looking frank. "My goal isn't just to investigate the ghost legends of the Toyokawa family, but all matters related to 'abnormality', including... the Seven Mysterious Events."

Li Xi frowned, not understanding the connection between the two.

"Do you know the seven incredible events that happened forty years ago?"

Akito didn't wait for her to ask before continuing, "Toyokawa Shoko disappeared while investigating this incident. When she reappeared... she turned into that mechanical monster."

"what?!"

Riki and Aine exclaimed at the same time.

"I doubt,"

Akito lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret. "The incident Xiangzi is investigating is hidden behind some kind of power, or rather... an organization. And this organization is very likely related to the cursed beads you carry."

Aiyin immediately hugged Li Xi tightly and whispered in her ear: "It's impossible to have the same curse bead. The other party's curse condition can't be [leave]... If there is no other way, you can also run away."

Aine continued, "This man is talking nonsense... Don't forget, we saw Shoko yesterday morning, at Hakuno's house. And Shoko was fine at that time. What that guy said doesn't make any sense at all."

"What you said...is there any evidence?"

Li Xi did not respond to Xiangzi's words, but asked Qiu Ren in a calm manner.

Qiu Ren smiled, as if he had anticipated Li Xi's suspicion.

"Of course,"

He took out a photo from his pocket and handed it to Li Xi, "I found this in the old house of the Fengchuan family. Take a look."

This was certainly not what Akito found at Toyokawa's house.

This is the bait.

——The reason why Qiu Ren said so much nonsense was all for this photo.

The photo was unremarkable, but it was coated with contact anesthetic. Akito's hands were covered with gloves, so she was fine, but if Riki took the photo, she would be able to knock her down.

In that case, the mantra beads can be recovered directly.

Qiu Ren did not come here to kill the curse master, but to retrieve the curse beads.

after all.

These two high school girls didn't have any criminal records. If he killed innocent people like them just to revive his wife and daughter, Akito would feel guilty.

...Hope it goes well.

Qiu Ren watched as Riki's hand reached out towards the photo he had handed over, his expression unchanged.

All right.

Everything is about to end.

46

Chapter 46: Shoko Toyokawa.

Li Xi subconsciously reached out and prepared to take the photo.

And just then, Aine pushed Riki, “No!”

Li Xi then realized that something was wrong and quickly withdrew his hand, "Just hold it like that and show it to me..."

"That's it,"

Akito wasn't upset about his plan falling through. He just showed the photo from a distance. "As I said earlier, this is a photo I found in the Toyokawa family's old house... What do you think this is?"

After hearing this, Li Xi began to look at the photo carefully.

The photo is slightly yellowed and curled at the edges, showing its age. It shows the back of a young woman, wearing a kimono and waist-length hair, standing beneath a cherry blossom tree. The background is blurry and the lighting is dim, making it difficult to discern the exact location. It seems to have been taken at random.

"This is……"

Li Xi spoke hesitantly, his eyes fixed on the photo.

Akito pointed at the woman in the photo and said, "This is Toyokawa Shoko's mother. Forty years ago, she was also involved in the Seven Unbelievable Events of the time... I guess you don't know about this."

Aine finally stopped whispering in Riki's ear and said loudly, "Stop playing tricks here. Who knows if this photo is real or fake? Maybe it's just an old photo you found somewhere to fool us."

This really hit the nail on the head.

The photo Akito produced was indeed a photo of a participant from forty years ago, but it had nothing to do with Toyokawa Shoko's mother.

just.

What can be used to convince others is never true.

"Everything I'm saying now is just speculation."

Mingpiao Qiuren put away the useless anesthetic photos and talked casually.

"First of all, we need to make it clear that this is not the first time that the Seven Unbelievable Events have occurred. There was already one forty years ago."

Akito paused, observing the expressions of the two girls, especially Riki. Her brows were furrowed, as if she was trying to digest his words.

"The core of the events of forty years ago was precisely this—resurrection."

He continued, "According to my research, one person was actually resurrected in the incident forty years ago... I'm afraid that person was Toyokawa Shoko's mother."

"What did you say?"

Lixi was about to be taken away.

And Aine immediately interrupted Riki's questioning.

"Wait, didn't you say earlier that Xiangzi was investigating an incident from forty years ago? If Xiangzi's mother, no, the Toyokawa family, had already been exposed to the resurrection technique forty years ago, why would Xiangzi be investigating it now?"

Aine said sharply, "Your words are inconsistent."

After hearing Aine's question, Akito calmly explained, "As I said earlier, this is just speculation. There could be many reasons why Shoko didn't investigate his ancestors. However, I believe that the most compelling explanation for Shoko's actions is that his mother was resurrected once."

Aine crossed her arms. "Explain? What explanation? What you're saying is pure nonsense! Even if Xiangzi's mother really did come back to life, so what? What does that have to do with the Seven Wonders?"

Akito smiled faintly, his expression confident. "Of course it's related. The reason why people can carry out such a huge, strange, and ritualistic thing without hesitation is probably because... there is a precedent."

Li Xi was confused and interrupted, "But...Xiangzi's mother has passed away, hasn't she?"

"This guy means that Xiangzi's mother died once, was resurrected, and now she's dead again."

Aine explained to Riki.

"That's right. That's why Xiangzi set his sights on the art of resurrection after his mother's death."

Akito continued to instill his ideas into Riki.

Li Xi felt like her brain was about to explode. Resurrection? Forty years ago? Xiangzi's mother? These pieces of information shot into her mind like bullets, creating a chaotic mess. She tried hard to grasp something, to piece the pieces together, but Akito kept throwing new "bombs" at her, leaving her dizzy.

Aiyin is like a reef, no matter how rough the waves are, she remains unshaken.

"and many more,"

She interrupted Qiu Ren's endless "reasoning" and said, "Even if Xiangzi's mother really came back to life, why wasn't there any news coverage of such a big event? In the 1980s, the resurrection of the dead would definitely be world-shaking news!"

Akito laughed, "How do you prove that someone came back from the dead, rather than 'never dying in the first place'?"

Aine was stunned. She had never thought about this question before. She hesitated for a moment and tentatively answered, "If there's a body, that would prove it, right?"

"Do you know when DNA technology was introduced to Japan?"

Akito asked back.